NYT: Internet Grants to Schools Halted as the F.C.C. Tightens the Rules

[DeepModem Mom]

Internet Grants to Schools Halted as the F.C.C. Tightens the Rules
By STEPHEN LABATON

Published: October 4, 2004


WASHINGTON, Oct. 3 - Public libraries and schools around the nation have suddenly stopped receiving any new grants from a federal program that is wrestling with new rules on how it spends $2.25 billion each year to provide high-speed Internet and telephone service.

The moratorium at what is known as the E-Rate program began two months ago, with no notice, and may last for months, causing significant hardships at schools and libraries, say state officials and executives at the company that runs the program.

The suspension came after the Federal Communications Commission, in consultation with the White House, imposed tighter spending rules that commission officials say will make it easier to detect fraud and waste in the program....

***

The E-Rate program was created by the Telecommunications Act of 1996 as a way to finance telephone and Internet services for the states. The program expanded an earlier universal service program to include public schools and libraries and the Internet, giving money both for equipment and for service.

Derided by its opponents as the "Gore Tax" because it was advanced by Vice President Al Gore, the program has occasionally been attacked in Congress by some Republicans. In recent interviews, administration and commission officials denied that the changes were intended to hinder the program. But some officials have said that in tightening the rules, the government may have made unintentional mistakes....


http://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/04/business/media/04fcc.html

[seventhson]

1. Thus it begins: The fascists do not want us to have the internet

if Bush wins we will probably even lose DU

[Arancaytar]

2. Mh. All in their interest., I'd say.

The internet being one of the leading places today where one can get free access to information (biased either way that is, thus creating an unbiased average), and young voters (just out of or still in high school) a good part of the Democrat support base...

Wouldn't this, in the long run, cause students to be less informed, and more easily hoodwinked by Faux and co? Thus more likely to be 'propagandadized' into voting Bush?

'Kill two flies with one blow' is probably the rationale behind this.


Edit: By the way, China (who the repukes want us to see as the ultimate evil, of course, being communist) is one of the chief nations censoring the internet access of its citizens. How long before the Bush administration starts doing the same if they're reelected?

[ixion]

3. I detect fraud...

in their motivation.

[Gman]

4. They need the $$ for Iraq

so they're siphoning it off. Its obvious.

[BiggJawn]

5. That's what I thought, too.

So they haven't let out any funding for the past 2 months, yet they continue to stick me every month on my phone bill for it?

Everything this bunch does is to help the Corpo buddies...

[el_gato]

6. Abolish the FCC and send that money back to where it came from

Perhaps we should stop paying taxes to a corrupt agency that is political in nature. With that money back in the districts that is came from it could be used to pay for internet access in schools. A massive bond proposal was just passed here in order to pay for our schools because we aren't getting the money any other way. All these federal funds are needed to kill women and children in Iraq.

[DeepModem Mom]

7. Adding link to quisp's post, and discussion --

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x882463

[Jokerman]

8. I've seen this first hand.

An organization I work with was supposed to receive e-rate funding to cover 48% of a major project that started billing in July. For two and a half months we were told that the funding would arrive any day, then in September, we were told everything is on indefinite hold.

The project they were supposed to be helping pay for is now complete and we're stuck with 100% of the bill instead of the 52% we had planned on.